What do Beyoncé, Lana Del Rey, and Post Malone all have in common? Well, yes, they’re all massively successful musicians, but more specifically they’re all familiar faces from the pop music world that have recently broken into the folk/country genre.
Beyoncé made headlines earlier this year for her debut country album “Cowboy Carter,” which featured many country icons, new and old. Although she did face criticism for “genre-hopping,” what successful female musicians don’t get torn down for stepping outside their traditional sound?
Since then, country music has seen a massive pull of pop singers, including Lana Del Rey, Post Malone, and Ed Sheeran. So, is it all because of Beyoncé paving the way? Or are there other forces at play here?
For starters, country music in 2023 experienced its biggest growth spurt in more than 30 years. According to industry data firm Luminate, on-demand audio streams exceeded 20 billion, a 23.7 percent increase. The highly influential Lana Del Rey said it herself at a pre-Grammys event this January, “If you can’t already tell by our award winners and our performers, the music business is going country. We’re going to country. It’s happening.”
Another theory is that the increase in country music’s popularity is due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s no surprise that country music has political ties. Country music has been used as a vice since its beginnings to tackle sensitive topics such as economic depression, addiction, and racial violence. In the crazy world we live in today, it’s no wonder that young people are finding solace in country music’s harsh truths.
The rise of country music could also be attributed to an influx of fresh new talent. Many artists like Noah Kahan, Zach Bryan, and Tyler Childers are releasing music that strays away from the stereotypical “Football and drinkin’ beer” element of modern country, by releasing raw and meaningful music about their life experiences, good and bad.
To get to the bottom of things, I had the opportunity to speak directly with Yung Gravy, an artist who started his journey as a SoundCloud rapper, but quickly rose to fame after the iconic release of his song “Mr. Clean” which samples “Mr. Sandman” and now sits at 256 million listens on Spotify. Today, he’s delving into the country space with his 7th studio album “Serving Country,” which features iconic samples by country giants Zac Brown and Shania Twain.
When asked what inspired him to get into country, Gravy replied “It was just fun, I was getting sick of doing all the same stuff. I mean, I needed to do something completely new, and I met a lot of people in country. They were so cool and welcoming, and I had a blast working on the album.”
So maybe there isn’t some overarching political and socio-economic force pulling the pop-girlies into the country world. Or maybe there is, but who cares?! Like Gravy said himself, it’s fun and new! Time and time again, artists have proven to us that they produce their best work when they’re having fun. So, let’s all enjoy this era of rich folk and country music while it lasts; starting with “Serving Country,” of course!
